Daily iPad App: EDGE Extended
One of my new favorite games for the iPad is EDGE Extended. In it users control a color-fluctuating cube by continuously tumbling it backwards and forwards, left and right. The goal is to get the cube across a platform of raised buttresses, moving tiles, traps, and enigmatic mazes to the other side where it transports off to the next level. If the concept of the game sounds simple that's because it is, but what makes this game stand out is its art direction, physics, and ingenuity.
EDGE Extended offers beautifully simple controls. There is no virtual joystick or pad. Just place your finger anywhere on the screen and drag to tumble the cube in any direction. The game is designed as an homage to the simplistic-looking arcade games of the 80s. But the simplicity is deceiving, because the developers obviously put a lot of subtle detail into it. As the cube tumbles over, you really get a "feel" every time its flat surface plops to the ground. Its 8-bit score and sound effects compliment the game's 44 levels without getting annoying. And its puzzles, levels, and traps are varying enough so you don't get the feeling of "I've played this level before."
EDGE Extended is my new addiction. And for US$0.99, I think it's going to become many peoples' addictions. Best of all, for that $0.99 you get a universal game that plays on both the iPad and iPhone.
